Schaefer said to maxboxing.com “I really don’t think it’s going to be Austin Trout…I know what fight fans want to see, so I’m going to deliver that fight.”

Okay, no Trout for Canelo. Does that mean Schaefer will pick out another struggling welterweight for Canelo to fight? Canelo recently fought 41-year-old Shane Mosley, who hadn’t won a fight since 2009. Was that a fight that boxing fans wanted to see? How about when Schaefer matched Canelo with Kermit Cintron and Alfonso Gomez? Were those fights that boxing fans wanted to see? I think Schaefer has a tin ear when it comes to choosing opponent that boxing fans want to see fight Canelo.

Of course, Schaefer wants to match Canelo up against Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that fight isn’t going to happen next on May 4th. Mayweather Jr. will likely be fighting Robert Guerrero. So, the best available fighter at 154 is Austin Trout, at least in my mind. I don’t want to see Schaefer trotting out Matthew Hatton again to fight Canelo like he did in 2011, and I don’t want to see Canelo fighting 40-year-old Lovemore N’dou or 40-year-old Carlos Baldomir again. I don’t want to see Ricardo Mayorga matched up with Canelo, and somehow I can see Schaefer making that fight.

The only real options out there for Canelo at 154 is Trout, James Kirkland and Alfredo Angulo. Of those, only Trout is fighting at high level right now. Angulo just went life and death with a little known welterweight named Jorge Silva in his last fight and looked worse than awful. Angulo looked absolutely terrible and was getting pummeled in a number of rounds. I don’t think there’s any demand from fans to see Canelo beat up the slow as molasses Angulo. That guy needs to go back and try and avenge his loss to Kirkland.

As for Kirkland, he was badly schooled in his last fight against Carlos Molina last year in March and he hasn’t fought since.

I just hope Schaefer doesn’t raid the welterweight division to look for an opponent for Canelo. I have a strong feeling Schaefer is going to have Marcos Maidana fight Canelo. That’s absolutely who I see getting picked out to face Canelo. Maidana just moved up to welterweight and he doesn’t look at this weight and he really needs to move back down to light welterweight.

Devon Alexander totally dominated Maidana last year in an easy 10 round decision. Maidana looked flabby, slow and out of his league at 147. In Maidana’s last fight, he was taking a beating from journeyman Jesus Soto-Karass when finally Maidana was able to hurt him and take him out in the 8th. But it was not a good performance from Maidana and the fight showed that he really needs to move back down in weight because he’s going nowhere at 154.

A Maidana-Canelo fight is mismatch just like Canelo’s last fight against light welterweight Josesito Lopez. However, I don’t expect Golden Boy to put Canelo in with anyone good until they can get him a fight with Mayweather, if they can get him that fight. Trout would beat Canelo, and they obviously don’t want that to happen.